AS Kigali progressed through to the first round of the CAF Confederation Cup after beating AS Djibouti Telecom 1-0 at Huye Stadium, Rwanda, on Sunday. Midfielder Rashid Kalisa scored the lone goal of the game that qualified the City of Kigali -sponsored side which was held to a goalless draw in the first leg held in Djibouti. In front of the home supporters, Andre Casa Mbungo’s men pushed for an early lead but the visitors’ defense looked too stubborn to concede a goal until Shaban Hussein Tshabalala was fouled into the penalty area in the 43rd minute to win a penalty but Innocent Mbonihankuye’s spot kick was saved. The AS Djibouti Telecom’s resistance came to an end after 67 minutes when Rashid Kalisa head home Haruna Niyonzima’s corner to give the home side the lead and the lone goal of the game. Mbungo immediately made quick substitutions with Niyonzima and Fabrice Mugheni making way for Denis Rukundo and Landry Djuma as the tactician looked to strengthen his defense to prevent the visitors from scoring the away goal. The Djiboutian players pushed for an equalizer in an attempt to keep their chances of qualifying to the next round but in vain only for AS Kigali to win the two-legged aggregate on a 1-0 score and set a date with Libyan side Al Nasty.
